My name is Ray W. and I have spent the past 40 years studying and playing every form of gambling/betting systems in existence. From the time I walked into my first pool hall at the age of 16 I’ve been fascinated with every aspect of it. I guess that makes me somewhat of an expert, if there really is such a thing. It’s not just me that’s fascinated though.

According to government statistics, 86% of Americans have reported gambling on something in the past 12 months. Approximately only 1/3 of the population consists of non-bettors. They state that 46% of adults gamble in casinos and seven out of ten frequent non-casino gambling. The primary source of which is horse racing, sports betting, state lotteries and online or private card games.

48 states have some form of legalized gambling with only Utah and Hawaii being the only two that do not. There are currently 13 states that have legalized commercial state sponsored casinos with a total of 443 of these establishments. The combined gross revenue for these 443 casinos was $30.74 billion annually.
The numbers are truly staggering.

Although I, like so many others, derive a great deal of enjoyment from it, any type of gambling that risks a person losing enough money to affect their standard of living (or that of their family) is self-destructive and should be avoided at all costs. I have personally watched a man lose his entire aluminum siding business overnight during a ridiculously extended session of heads-up gin rummy. Hard to believe, I know.

My attraction to gambling and casino table games in particular, is rooted in a deep desire to win every time I play. There is nothing compulsive about my approach to casino gambling. In fact, I do everything I can to take as much of the gamble out of it as possible.

The winning approach consists of only playing games that have no more than a 2% house advantage (Craps .60%, Baccarat 1.25%, Roulette 2.6% on even-money wagers and Blackjack, even money depending on the use of expert “Basic Strategy”) and rigorous adherence to an iron-clad set of precepts which are the “golden rules” or The 10 Commandments as I like to call them.

1. Never gamble when tired or depressed.

2. Never gamble with more than you can comfortably afford to lose.

3. Do Not drink alcohol before or during gambling sessions. It is the chloroform the casinos provide to separate the player from their money.

4. Keep playing sessions short.

5. Always preset a definite bankroll for gambling and Do Not exceed that amount.

6. If you are feeling “negative” about your surroundings (the table, dealers, other players or if in a losing cycle) stop betting and leave the table. The tables will still be there when your mood changes.

7. Avoid playing without a clear plan of action (betting strategy, min./max. wagers).

8. Do Not increase the size of your bets when losing. Increase wagers only when winning. This will limit losses and let winnings run up.

9. Know that the battle is not between you and the casino… it is between you and you alone. Always maintain your self-discipline.

10. Always quit when winning.

Winning consistently at these four casino table games is not that difficult. I do it all the time. There are playing and betting strategies that I believe shifts the advantage from the “house” to the player in any given short session of play.

The above 10 rules of gambling have been handed down to me by the most astute professional gamblers I have known over the years. They are essential to intelligent and consistent winning. Anyone who is not able to follow these rules has no business in a casino gambling with real money.

Life, like gambling, is a constant battle with the unknown. If you knew what the outcome would be in advance it would take all the fun out of it.

“The serious gambler is a man who is at war with chance. In the casino there is, whether he wins or loses, certainty… he consults the table, which speaks to him through the dice, as the Greeks consulted the oracles, and the oracle rewards him by telling him now, not next week or next year, whether the choices he makes are right or wrong.”

- William Pearson
“The Muses of Ruin”

Best of luck,
Ray W.

At Players’ Casino Club you can learn winning playing/betting strategies and historical background focusing on the four best casino table games of Craps, Blackjack, Roulette & Baccarat.

Winning at casino gambling is not difficult if you know how. It is a skill that can be learned.

Nobody comes to a casino simply because they want to have fun. Underneath this vague reason is the desire to bring home cash, and lots of it. Indeed, casino gambling is a way to get your hands on lots of cash in a short time. However, it can also be the way to lose cash in an even shorter time. The thing with casino gambling is that the games have different pay-out rates. For example, spending half an hour in the slots will not help you reach the hundred dollar mark unless you win the jackpot. But if you go and spend time at the roulette table, you can reach the 200-dollar mark without waiting for 30 minutes. Likewise, you could lose all your casino gambling money at the roulette table in a shorter time than it will take you to lose $10 at the slots.

The trick to maximize casino gambling profits is to choose the right games to play. High pay-out games usually give you more money for limited funds. However, skill is highly needed in playing these games. Being a novice and attempting this game with the more experienced players only make you lose your funds. The rules may vary in different casinos, but still the most favored high-paying games are blackjack and video poker.

Depending on your casino’s blackjack rules, blackjack is a game wherein a player can expect high returns providing he plays wisely. There are many variations in blackjack rules like the number of card decks, splitting and doubling bets, and other rule variations. Years back, most casino gambling websites offer great odds. If played strategically, the player even gets valuable advantage. However, rules change and now, the odds are in the casino’s side regardless of the player’s strategy. So to ensure good pay-outs in playing blackjacks, it is to your favor to seriously consider being an advance blackjack player.

Of course, not everyone is born with jacks and aces in their hands. But learning good blackjack strategy is easy. There are many free and downloadable blackjack software tools that you can download and practice on. Also, blackjack books are available at most bookstores. These books are usually authored by top blackjack players who have gained fame and fortune in playing the game. Don’t frown because nothing is easy these days. Being a winner requires effort, so that at least you can enjoy yourself doing it. With regular blackjack practice, you could soon be the next casino gambling blackjack king.

Video poker is another casino gambling game that has a reputation for high pay-outs. However, like blackjacks, video poker rules and pay-out schemes vary among casinos. Examining the casino’s pay tables is important before starting video poker, or any game for that matter. Usually, there are different video poker machines at a given casino. Be sure to choose the one with best pay tables, otherwise, you’re just giving the casino your money without a fight. Good pay tables are assurance that the game you’re playing actually favors you.

Good video poker machines usually allow over a hundred percent return the longer you play the game. Also, despite being similar to slot machines, video poker is not a game of chance. This means that you have an actual advantage depending on your skills. Consequently, you cannot play the game and expect a high pay-out without understanding the basic rules and arming yourself with useful techniques. Casino gambling is fun, but it does entail some work.

Most casino gambling websites and traditional casinos offer both games. Betting experience and game skills improve your chances of winning the games and getting high pay-outs. Though playing requires effort in learning the games and mastering the skills, it does have its rewards. Besides, casino gambling is more fun if you go home laden with cash than big debts.

Gambling – offline as well as online casino gambling – has fast become a leisure activity attracting a growing number of people. Offline Casino gambling is often combined with travelling and vacations to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and quite a few other cities in the USA, with an increasing number of Indian Casinos included. Casino gambling is also a popular pursuit in Europa as well as most parts of the world. However, for some the access to casinos are limited or absent. The internet however, offers a lot of gambling and gaming opportunities for those.

In USA we can identify at least five groups of casinos or casino gaming establishments

The first city that comes to mind when we talk about luxurious casinos is Las Vegas. There has been legalized gambling in Nevada for decades but the real boom has developed over the recent years. The growth of casinos and hotels in Vegas can seem out of control. Due to the invasion from gambling and entertainment hungry people from all over the world, Las Vegas has become the fastest growing city in the United States.

Though family resorts, with theme parks and other attractions for the juniors have popped up like toad hats over the years, developers in Vegas now tend to prioritize more adult oriented establishments. The opening of the luxury Wynn casino in May 2005 is a good example of this trend. Las Vegas – with all it’s casino gambling jet set pomp and glitter – belongs to the adult generations.

The Indian casinos as well as the riverboat casinos and local gambling clubs are more sober alternatives to the luxury in Vegas. As the demand for gambling adventures are booming in all regions of the country, these kinds of casino establishments has grown equally.

The casino gambling alternative that most people find their way to is, internet casino gambling. The availability is outrageous and it is you who decide when to play and you can play from any location on the globe that has an internet connection.

If you are a newbie you can now train yourself to become an professional casino gambler from the comfort of your home. It’s good not to feel the pressure from other players when you are experimenting with different strategies and gaining your basic gaming skills. Your best teacher is your mistakes; do them peacefully from your home, without any critical I-know-best voices. Another reason for playing casino online is that you save money on a hotels, restaurants and airfares. It is also easier for disabled persons to access an online casino than an offline. Remember that an online casino is like a real casino – it has the same games; black jack, poker, roulette, baccarat, craps and others – the same excitement and you can win real money.

Just one final advice: The internet is overloaded with gambling and casino websites. Among such a big crowd of gambling offers, there has to be some bogus ones Stay away from those and keep to recommended online casino gambling websites. Good luck!

The internet’s ability to blur boundaries and society’s acceptance of casino gambling and sports betting ultimately shed light on the inconsistencies and loopholes of American gambling laws. From the makeshift sports book stalls in Nevada, most sports betting activities shifted operations and exploited the possibilities of cyberspace in the mid-1990s. At present, there are numerous online gaming sites catering to sports betting and casino gambling based in countries like Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Ireland.

Despite overseas-based operations, the lion’s share of the revenues and clients of these sites come from American states. In fact, recent studies show that these online casino gambling and sports betting sites earn more than legal casinos operating in Nevada. The profits of online gambling and betting sites are estimated at $70 billion for 2005 alone. This is a staggering amount compared to the reported $2 billion from Nevada casinos. This is enough to overthrow the three-decade reign of Nevada casinos from the 60′s to the early 90′s. Considering that sports book and casino sites have been operating for less than two decades, they are clearly a threat to the thriving Nevada gambling scene.

For decades, Las Vegas is the only place legal for gambling operations. Atlantic City followed suit and made casino gambling legal; the following decades saw the proliferation of state lotteries, card clubs, gaming ships, Indian casinos, and off-track betting salons across the nation. But still, these developments are not enough to compete with online gambling. The industry of online gambling is not even swayed by staunch opposition from legal US casinos. The gambling laws of the United States of America do not help, too. They vary widely from the different states. Most states ban all forms of gambling while some make exceptions. Inconsistencies like these make it easy for online operators to find and use loopholes in the law. The American Gaming Association maintains a defensive stand regarding online gambling. The association pushes for federal laws on the regulation of online gambling. According to them, the unregulated nature of the online gambling industry is its advantage over traditional casinos; regulating it puts both camps on even footing.

But despite this stand, some Nevada casinos are following the old stand-by: if you cannot beat them, join them. November 1998 saw the start of a new trend; traditional casinos started acquiring off-shore online casino gambling companies to improve their profits. An affiliate of the Hilton Hotels absorbed the Australian sports book Centrebet.com. Other Nevada casinos followed and this cycle again spawned a new barrage of debates.

Contrary to their earlier dislike of the online gambling industry, the traditional casinos set their sights higher. They are now pressuring the Congress to pass a law that legalizes online gambling. This is done in an effort to lower production costs; legalization means that they could now shift their operations in the US. Harrah’s and MGM Mirage, the two leading casinos in Nevada and undoubtedly owning their own online gambling sites, lead the casinos in requesting for the regulation of online gaming. Clearly, this move requesting for regulation does not intend to put traditional casinos at par with online sites anymore. The competition shifted between independent online sites and Nevada casino-owned sites. A move to regulate translates to double profits for the Nevada casinos.

Whatever comes out of this new development in casino gambling, gamers are still assured of their gambling fix. Possibly, if the proposed regulation is approved, there would be more security in betting online since it is now under US laws. Like before, casino gambling proves itself to be a dynamic and ever-changing industry.

The revolution in the world of gambling happened awhile ago when first online casinos started to appear on the Internet in 1996-1997. Almost immediately, online casinos attracted a lot of attention from both public and mass media. It was something new, something different, and so tempting to try for everybody who had access to the Internet. In the end online casino gambling proved to be so convenient, so secure and so advantageous entertainment for millions of people that it has become one of the fastest growing sectors of Internet commerce.

These days you will find thousands of online gambling sites on the Internet with more being opened every month. The most visible difference between online and land based casinos is that online players can play their favorite casino games on the computer in the safe and familiar environment of their home. All online casinos provide customers with detailed information on the site, and a quick guide on how to play at the casino. Some online casinos will offer articles on various game strategies, and detailed information about rules of the games, so novice players can feel at ease while getting themselves familiar with the gambling parlor, its rules and policies. At land based casinos beginner players frequently feel intimidated by the noisy and busy environment, numerous service personnel and gate security guards. They often feel confused, intimidated and lost in the vast building space, being unable to enjoy the gaming process and to concentrate on the game itself. Online casinos allow players to practice, to hone their gaming skills and to slowly adapt to the new environment at their own pace. Most online casinos allow you free play tries so you can find out for yourself if this casino is what you are looking for. You can even play for real money without the risk to lose your savings by using no deposit bonuses offered by some online casinos as incentives for new players.

Another advantage of online casinos may not be so visible, but it is a very important one. The odds of winning a game at online casinos are usually slightly higher, than at land based casinos. Due to lower maintenance costs for online casinos, they have been able to operate with fewer expenses 24 hours a day, without any days-off. According to the Casino Journal Magazine, the average payout for land based casinos is around 89%, which means that out of every dollar wagered at the casino, 89 cents are paid out to winning customers. At the same time, it is not rare to see payouts reaching 96-98% for online casinos, which means more payouts to playing customers!

Another feature which makes online casinos so attractive is promotional bonuses and no deposit credits available at many of them. Using these incentives wisely, you can play games and have fun with the casino money thus saving some of your own.

Be aware that besides reputable casinos with good service record there are a few online gambling parlors which have stained their reputation by dishonest practices, bad customer service, and slow payouts. You will be asked for your personal information before you are allowed to play online, and you want to make sure that your personal data is protected by the casino. Therefore, it is very important first to read online independent gambling guides to casinos to find out the players’ favorites, trusted and well-known casino sites. Secondly, read carefully the casino’s rules and policies. Third, try the casino for free before you start wagering your own money. Fourth, make sure that the laws and regulations in your area allow online gambling. Do not break the law!